In the Shadow of Stars
In the Shadow of Stars: The world has always seemed brighter when Amara was near. To Rohan, she wasn’t just a woman. She was a constellation of his favorite memories, a melody that played in the background of his life, and the colors that filled his every thought.
For years, they’d been friends, and for years, Rohan had kept his love for her buried deep, convinced that revealing it would somehow tarnish what they already shared. He would never risk the warmth of her smile, the easy way she laughed at his jokes, or the trust she placed in him. So, he played the role of the supportive best friend, hiding his love behind layers of jokes, conversations, and shared silences.
Rohan was the keeper of her secrets, the one who stayed up late on long phone calls when she needed to talk about her failed relationships. And every time Amara’s heart broke, Rohan would silently pick up the pieces, knowing he could never give her the kind of love she sought. Because, to Amara, Rohan wasn’t the knight in shining armor; he was the familiar, comfortable shelter, the dependable friend.
One summer evening, as the two sat beneath a canopy of stars by the riverbank, Amara confided in Rohan about a new man in her life—Arjun. Her eyes gleamed as she spoke of him, filled with the kind of hope Rohan had only ever seen her have for others.
He swallowed hard, his own heart splintering into a thousand pieces with every word she spoke. But he smiled, his face the perfect mask of encouragement, offering advice and pushing aside his own feelings. Every nod, every word of support felt like a lie, yet it was all he could do to maintain the fragile balance of their friendship.
Days turned into weeks, and Amara and Arjun’s relationship blossomed. Rohan was there, as always, standing in the background, watching her happiness unfold from a distance. It was torture, seeing the person he loved find joy in someone else, but he had promised himself he would never be the one to take it away from her. If this was the price for her happiness, he would pay it.
One evening, Amara came to Rohan’s apartment, her face stained with tears. Arjun had broken up with her, leaving her devastated and lost. Without a word, Rohan pulled her into his arms, letting her cry on his shoulder. He wished he could tell her everything in that moment—how he’d been in love with her for years, how he would never leave her the way others had. But he didn’t.
Instead, he whispered words of comfort, telling her she was strong, she would heal, and that she deserved someone who would love her completely. All the while, his own heart ached with the knowledge that the one person who could give her that kind of love was right there, holding her.
The days that followed were bittersweet. Amara leaned on Rohan more than ever, and they spent countless hours together, rekindling their old routines. She smiled more often, and for a brief moment, Rohan allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for them.
But fate had other plans. One evening, as they walked through the city’s winding streets, Amara’s phone buzzed with a message. It was from Arjun, asking to meet. Rohan saw the flicker of hope in her eyes, and without hesitation, she excused herself, running to catch a cab.
Rohan stood there in the fading light, watching her silhouette disappear into the distance. His hands clenched into fists, the weight of his unspoken love heavier than ever. He had known all along that his love for her was never meant to be returned, but somehow, the finality of it struck him harder than he had imagined.
Amara came back to him days later, glowing with the news of her reconciliation with Arjun. Rohan smiled, pushing aside his own feelings as he always had. He hugged her, congratulated her, and quietly stepped further into the shadows of her life. His love, as always, would remain unspoken, one-sided, hidden in the spaces between his heartbeats.
And so, he loved her silently, content in the knowledge that she was happy, even if it wasn’t with him. In the end, it didn’t matter that his love for her went unnoticed. To Rohan, it was enough just to have been part of her life, even if it meant loving her from a distance, forever in the shadow of stars.
Sometimes, love isn’t about being seen or heard. Sometimes, it’s about staying in the background, loving someone enough to let them go where they find their light.